1 . When you think of a map, is north on the top or the bottom? Usually, maps are designed with north on top, though when we think about it, there is no logical reason for this bias (偏见). After all, there is no up or down in space. So what is wrong with south, east or west being on the top of the map? The answer is: nothing at all. In fact, north-up maps only became the norm in the last few hundred years.
Ancient Egyptian maps had south at the top because the Nile River flows downhill from mountains in the south to the Mediterranean Sea in the north. Mecca was to the south of most early Muslim civilizations, and south-up maps were designed so that viewers would look up to see Mecca. Medieval Christian maps had east at the top, as they believed the Garden of Eden was in the east. The only early maps that had north at the top were those of early China because the emperor lived in the north.
North seems to have settled at the top of maps during the 16th century, largely thanks to a Flemish mapmaker, Mercator. Mercator was a great admirer of an early Greek mapmaker, who, for reasons now unknown, put north at the top of maps, so Mercator did, too. When Mercator’s world map became the standard map to navigate the oceans, north up became standard as well.
What is the implication of this north-view of the world? Psychologically, people tend to think of up as good and down as bad. Just think of words and phrases like “upmarket”, “upbeat” and “moving up in the world”, and how they contrast with their opposites. Because north is so consistently put at the top of maps, people now think of north as good, too.
Several attempts have been made in recent years by introducing south-up maps to the market. These maps not only give us a chance to see the world differently, but also give everyone the chance to see themselves on top.
1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?| A．North-up maps were rare in ancient times. |
| B．Deciding up or down in space is ridiculous. |
| C．Mecca maps were based on a legend. |
| D．The south-up map first appeared in ancient Egypt. |
| A．An illogical reason. | B．The spread of Mercator’s maps. |
| C．People’s preference for up. | D．An age-old tradition in Greece. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Supportive. | C．Uncaring. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．To criticize a phenomenon. | B．To compare various facts. |
| C．To correct a cultural bias. | D．To argue for a viewpoint. |
2 . 阅读下面短文,在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
As the economy flourishes (v. 繁荣), there always comes a time
In 1902, a dam was completed at Aswan, which provided irrigation (n. 灌溉) during
3 . Millions of years ago dinosaurs lived on the earth. In the days of dinosaurs the whole earth was warm and wet. There were green forests and they could find enough to eat. Later, parts of the earth became cold and dry, and the forests there died. Then dinosaurs could not find enough to eat. This must be one reason why dinosaurs died out.
We can guess another reason. New kinds of animals came on the earth. Some had big brains and were fast and strong. They could kill dinosaurs.
There may be other reasons that we don’t know about yet. Scientists are trying to make more discoveries about dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs have many sizes and shapes (形状). Some were as small as chickens, while some were about 90 feet long.
There were also terrible fights between dinosaurs. They might have happened more than 100 million years ago. Though there was no man to see any of the fights, we can be told by the footprints (足迹) that fights did take place.
1. According to the passage, dinosaurs did exist only________on the earth.| A．for millions of years |
| B．millions of years ago |
| C．more than 100 million years ago |
| D．when it was warm and wet somewhere |
| A．there were too many dinosaurs |
| B．parts of the earth became warm and wet |
| C．there were many green forests |
| D．they couldn’t find enough to eat |
| A．scientists are trying to make some dinosaurs |
| B．dinosaurs are dangerous enough |
| C．dinosaurs are worth studying further |
| D．scientists know nothing about dinosaurs |
| A．footprints | B．imagination | C．rocks and forests | D．dinosaurs’ eggs |
4 . Chien-Shiung Wu was a Chinese-American nuclear physicist who has been recognized as “the First Lady of Physics” and “Queen of Nuclear Research”. Her research contributions include work on the Manhattan Project and the Wu experiment.
Born in a small town near Shanghai, China, on May 31, 1912, Chien-Shiung Wu was the only daughter of three children. Education was important to the Wu family, which influenced young Wu the most. Her mother, a teacher, and her father, an engineer, encouraged her to pursue science and mathematics from an early age. She began her study in one of the first schools founded by her father, and then went to Suzhou School. Later she attended Shanghai Gong Xue public school for one year. In 1930, Wu entered Nanjing University, where she first pursued mathematics but quickly switched her major to physics, inspired by a famous female scientist, Marie Curie. She graduated with top honors at the head of her class with a B.S. degree in 1934.
After graduation, she went to the University of California. There she met Professor Ernest Lawrence, a later Nobel Prize winner. Wu’s graduate work focused on a highly desirable topic of that age: uranium fission (铀裂变) products. After completing her Ph. D. in 1940, Wu accepted an offer from Princeton University as the first female teacher. In 1944, she joined the Manhattan Project at Columbia University.
After leaving the Manhattan Project in 1945, Wu spent the rest of her career in the Department of Physics at Columbia. She is best known for conducting the Wu experiment, the discovery of which resulted in her colleagues Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang winning the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics, while Wu was not included. Wu was aware of the injustice and at an MIT conference in October of 1964, she stated “I wonder whether the physics symbols have any preference for either male or female treatment.”
Wu retired from Columbia in 1981 and devoted her time to educational programs until she died in 1997.
1. What played the most important role in Chien-Shiung Wu’s early education?| A．Her father’s school. | B．Her family culture. |
| C．Her personal intelligence. | D．Her parents’ preference for her. |
| A．She desired to learn from a great. |
| B．She wanted to develop her strength. |
| C．She wanted to receive more honors. |
| D．She was tired of studying mathematics. |
| A．She argued for female rights. | B．She had no desire for Nobel prize. |
| C．She called on women to study physics. | D．She showed respect for people’s preferences. |
| A．An exposition | B．A news report | C．An argumentation | D．A narrative writing |
| A．She is not in the mood. |
| B．She likes talking during a movie. |
| C．She doesn’t want to go out with him. |
Perhaps the tea ceremony is one of
The parents are seated in elegant
1. 政府方面；
2.个人方面；
3. 你的行动。
注意：1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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内容包括：1. 最喜欢的节日；2. 节日简介；3. 喜欢的原因。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头已给出，不计入总词数。
The Traditional Chinese Festival I Like Best
There are many tradition festivals in China.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| A．be | B．will be | C．is | D．has been |
10 . What killed King Tut? Historians and scientists have long believed that ancient Egypt’s most famous king was probably murdered. But a recent scientific study claims to have found a different answer to this more than 3,300-year-old mystery. A team of researchers now say that King Tut, the boy ruler, died of complications (并发症) from a broken leg.
Tut’s full name was Tutankhamun. He was just 9 years old when he became the ruler of Egypt. His treasure-filled tomb was discovered almost a century ago. It was filled with royal riches, including a solid-gold coffin, a gold mask, and piles of jewelry.
Unfortunately Tut died at the age of 19. Many experts have thought that Tut was killed by one of his advisers, named Ay, who wanted to be king. But thanks to a major modern science project, it seems Ay is innocent.
Researchers set out to solve the mystery of King Tut’s death by using the tools of science, including DNA tests and electronic scans of his mummy (木乃伊). Scientist Carsten Pusch conducted the tests on Tut for the new study. He thinks a broken leg contributed to the young king’s death.
More than 100 walking sticks were found in King Tut’s tomb. This supports the team’s findings. But how could a person die from a simple broken leg?
Pusch also found DNA evidence in Tut’s body that indicates he had malaria (疟疾), a disease carried by mosquitoes. Malaria severely weakens the immune system.
Pusch and his fellow researchers believe the malaria and the bone disease together caused the king’s fracture (骨折) to become deadly. Finally, the young king was just too weak to recover. So effects of the disease combined with the bad luck of a broken bone — not a jealous adviser — are likely the real causes of King Tut’s death.
1. It has long been believed by historians and scientists that _____.| A．King Tut was the youngest ruler in the world history |
| B．King Tut was the richest ruler in the history of Egypt |
| C．King Tut was murdered by one of his advisers |
| D．King Tut was poisoned by one of his servants |
| A．the king had been dead for 3,300 years |
| B．the king was buried grandly |
| C．the king was born with a bad immune system |
| D．the king’s body was well kept in the tomb |
| A．testing the king’s immune system |
| B．studying the walking sticks found in the tomb |
| C．performing experiments on mosquitoes |
| D．applying DNA tests and electronic scan technology |
| A．a different answer to King Tut’s death |
| B．a famous boy king in ancient Egypt |
| C．a treasure-filled tomb discovered in Egypt |
| D．a team of researchers studying ancient tombs |
